The Shared Apex Loop Array pattern resembles that of a 4-square phased vertical array. The Array Solutions system can be instantly switched in eight directions, or made omnidirectional or bi-directional. The direction can even be flipped to see front to back or to check long path.

Correction from Mark KB7GF, the SALA's inventor:

"Just a point of clarification on the omnidirectional reference. The prototype unit mistakingly had an OMNI button - and it got photographed - but it should have been a UNI button (meaning uni-directional). The production units have both a UNI-directional button and a BI-directional button ... but NOT an omnidirectional button.

Can't imagine what the usual dopey Eham antenna review would add to the QEX article, the info from the new SALA Yahoo group and several YT videos that show the antenna in action.

I don't own a SALA yet, but if you insist on a review:

"I put up a SALA 15 minutes ago. Our local 50 KW Clear Channel AM station comes in great. Built like a tank. It's a keeper. Mark's a great guy, Jay's a great guy. Did I mention it was built like a tank?"

Seriously, my main concern would be concealing one in our yard, away from the house and other antennas and so deer and our lawn service don't take it out. I'd like to hear comments on the quality of the switching box. Videos show several box versions. A good place to find knowledgeable performance evaluation would be low band ham DX/contest groups. Those guys won't pull punches.

Jeff, you have missed your calling as a comic. You nailed the typical newbie-review format there, just too funny.

Seriously, I agree, the reviews themselves are often pointless. However, numerically, they tell a tale of adoption ... if there are several eHam.net (or other) reviews from "Joe Ham" ... that means that Jay sold some of these skyhooks and is getting feedback from people other than those who were selected to test the thing in the first place.

That just means I don't have to go "first" (at list price) and wring out any little gotchas.

What I have seen so far is that Jay's reported he is still finding ways to ideal the F-B for example. That's good news, but, it causes me to delay my purchase, waiting for the jury to return on actual use-case best practices. The reality is that the number of these units deployed is still de minimis. I am kind of not wanting to be an experimenter with this antenna, right at this stage of my life. I've spent the last 30 years being an early adopter. It's become old. I'd just rather go and install it and use it.

I often think of a rave review I saw from a new American ham using one of those built-like-a-tank pileup-busting Wonder Verticals.... a/k/a a big and costly aluminum stick. He boasted that he used it to work an Egyptian and a Pakistani contact on 40 meter sideband while running 50 watts in the CQWW contest. As an old 40-meter contester/DXer, I had doubts.

Turned out the Egyptian was a bootlegger and the very rare Pakistani sideband Q was with a military prefix never used by hams. Likely the reviewer had mis-copied the call and his logging program listed it as Pakistan. Otherwise his contest Qs were utterly unimpressive.

I share your observations on the newly invented SALA. I'd like to hear from users of production units and not from beta-testing pals of Jay, the seller, or Mark, the inventor. I'm in no hurry to buy one. For some reason it doesn't appear that many are being sold. I don't doubt their claims, but effectively shrinking the equivalent of a wheel of 8 long (long enough to be effective to 100 kHz!) Beverages down to a radius of 10 or 20 feet is one heck of an antenna breakthrough.

Now, I realize that this cost is a fraction of the actual cost of installing the only two viable alternative antennas, and that's only if one has the space for either of them. So I am not questioning the value. Further, I don't feel like buying a large quantity of the ferrite bead doo-hickeys that I'd then have to hand-sort for a match, which I assume/hope is what Jay is doing. And, I don't want to design and make my own snazzy looking control head or weatherproof delay switcher/preamp/bias-T box.

If you think of all that work that's gone into this antenna, this price is a screaming bargain.

I'll be using a SALA, along with my trusty Flags and BOGs, for CQWW CW this weekend, concentrating on 160m. I'll submit a review after that.

Preliminary observations: the performance of my AS-SAL-20 is commensurate with what is seen on the videos. It is outperforming my 14' x 29' bi-directional Flags (bottom wire at 6'). The "BI" mode is especially impressive if noise off the back is not an issue.

I'll be using a SALA, along with my trusty Flags and BOGs, for CQWW CW this weekend, concentrating on 160m. I'll submit a review after that.

That's fabulous, Redd!

Been waiting for some grizzled low band DXer/contester to bring a SALA to a battlefield, like the CQWW DX this weekend.... someone who can run a/b comparisons that are almost always missing from EHam soft toss reviews.

Want your opinion of it on other bands too, and maybe the AM BCB and ham 630 m experimental allocation (around 473 KHz) if you have a way to listen there.

160 meter condx for CQWW DX CW were very disappointing. I worked everything I heard but didn't hear much. Naturally, condx were better on Monday.

I managed to work YN2CC on 160 last night BUT the SALA and my 125' BOGS couldn't hear him at all, whereas my Flag antenna (14' x 29', bottom wire 6' above ground) could. The SALA is -generally- better than my flags, but more is always better.

I was just watching your YouTube video, and had a question. I'd like to install on the side of a hill in my back yard. In your video, you indicate the shape of the loops is unimportant, as long as they're all the same. So, do you see any issues if I use more of a pennant shape (I.e. No flat bottom, but rather an elevated outside corner to the loops)?

Well, I haven't tried the New Apex Loop Arrays but did just purchase the Pixel Technology's RF PRO-1B and temporarily hooked it up just at about 4 feet above the ground next to my house and adjacent to a number of trees. The results were astonishing! I intend on moving it into an area of my lot with no trees nearby, on a 6 foot tall pole with a TV antenna rotator and can't wait to see the results!

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